Scarlet Justice - ep. 118
"Imitatio Dei"
[Sweet Child of Mine: Conclusion]

I open my eyes.

"..."

Every part of me hurts. Enough to make me want to stay down for a little while. I really did go over the line, and this is proof. It's fine, though. I learned a great deal of things from this experiment. About life, about the flow of energy in the universe, the movement of souls, and so on.

I feel different, in a way that I can't properly describe. My mind is active, more than usual. Something...strange is happening. I force myself upwards, ignoring the lingering pain, and get a good look at the world again.

It starts as small, twinkling points of light. They come from the flowers around me. Then they rise from the grass, all the way out and into the distance. They rise up from the rice fields that I can see. My brain struggles to comprehend what it is that I'm seeing, but I realize after a moment that I already understand.

"This is the flow of life." My head swivels from side to side, trying to properly capture the sights around me. "To think that it would be this vivid...amazing."

The world looks so much different now. So much more vibrant than ever before. There's so much extra information flowing into me, passing through my brain...so many things that, if I just focus enough, I can see things and places that I could not before. A butterfly passes by, and its wings shimmer in my vision.

This isn't frightening, not as I once thought it would be. Many stories have been told of those who came to understandings of things that were beyond most human beings. Some would become cold and reclusive, while others would renounce their existence as humans altogether. Still more disappeared into the wilderness. Some were said to have gone insane, their minds shattered by the sheer potency of the information they had gathered within themselves. What would happen if I gained that sort of power? What would happen if I became someone who could see further than any human could in this world? Would I become like them? Even with those reassurances from Momma, the trials of society twisted the concepts of that great power in my head. I either feared it, or wanted it solely as a means of escape. To ascend beyond the understanding of humans, and exist in a dark, lonely void. For a while, those thoughts were like honey to me. To ascend meant to cease existing...to cut myself off from pain and suffering. To never have to experience loneliness because it was no longer something I could experience. To erase the very concept of bonds.

How miserable I was then.

"Time to head home."

I slip on my sneakers, before changing my mind and taking them off again. The laces are tied together so that I can carry the shoes around my neck as I walk. I want to feel everything this time, even through my feet. I want to soak up this sensation properly for the first time. The twinkling points of light have disappeared, but as I focus again they return properly. They float and move through the air, looking like drops of morning dew in my sight. The energy sparkles within the small gusts of wind that blow by me, making me feel like I've wandered onto some gigantic artist's canvas. The sensation of the grass under my feet isn't anything like before, either. The wonderful smell of flowers from earlier is much richer and more intense. I flick my tongue out to taste the atmosphere, and I expect my senses to be pushed to their limits.

But...it's not like that. Everything is heightened, yes, but it arrives in a gradual way, the colours being quickly filled in until I'm immersed in them comfortably. Everything is beautiful and clear, even the sunlight looks different. My awareness has increased, and I can feel the air as it flows around me, touching my skin and sending those shimmering points of light into and through me. Every breath, every soft crunch of grass...it all has meaning, blending together as I move leisurely through the world. I realize that my mind is quickly adjusting, and that I am starting to settle into this experience. I am grasping my new view of the world as it is, as it will be from here on.

"I think that I'm...starting to understand."

I am managing properly. This is...almost normal now. But I am aware that things are different. That I am different. And I love it. It reminds me of that moment in the desert, where my dream to save Hina evolved into something else entirely. Where I accepted the darkness in my heart, and found that I enjoyed being a cold-blooded killer. But this? This is beyond that. It's something that I've never felt before, a freedom that has truly allowed me to step out of humanity's shadow. The pull that I used to feel, that sensation called gravity...it has faded away. I can think freely, and see so many different things. I realize now that while all of my other awakenings were tied to my human self, this is different. This is, above all else, the beginning of a new life for me. To be sure, it's a dramatic thing to say. Especially after all of the other times that I rose above the self, and declared those to be stages of my evolution that allowed me to go beyond the limitations of mortals. It seems that I was wrong, and that those were merely parallel wills, different paths compared to this great ascension. This wasn't by chance, or by accident. I did come upon this power many moons ago, after all.

The sight of God, that gift for my reckless action. My desire to surpass my mortal limitations manifested in that moment, and I became witness to the heavenly plane. This strength and freedom was not simply something that was found. It was more than that. But it took until this moment, because I saw myself as just a weapon, as just someone who would become an avatar of destruction in her world. To get to this point, I not only needed to accept that I was meant for more, but I needed to cast aside those chains that I falsely called humility. Pride in myself, the same pride that Caroline, and Midori, and Emi had in me...the same pride that made Fubuki praise me endlessly after reaching her once more. That was what I needed. That was what I had to grab hold of, the same pride that would allow me to accept my role as protector of this world and all of its brilliant possibilities.

"..."

There is something else that I've noticed intensely as I walk. There is a...pulse coming from the Earth itself. I can feel it reacting with my spirit, and reaching out into the atmosphere. I don't understand it entirely, but it just feels heavy somehow. Maybe...maybe this is the 'gravity' that I escaped from just now. I don't feel like I'm being pulled in, nor do I feel as if I'm being pushed away.

My spirit divorced from that of the Earth's...it is possible that I've escaped the confines of mortality itself?

I wonder.

The world will be a bit different from now on. I will need to meditate more with this new type of vision, but I know that I can manage. This vivid colour will become my life one day. I can see everything as it is and will be, now that I have this extra sense at my back. My walk continues and I decide to make a small detour, heading towards the edge of the rice fields. People are working steadily, with polished movements that conserve their energies for the long day ahead. At the least, they seem to be doing better than the workers I used to see while my father was alive. The flow of energy and the strength of their spirits are visible to me as I look on. Some are small, steadily burning flames enveloping the heart. Others are much larger, enveloping the body and expanding outwards, tongues of heat licking at the air. There is no predictable split between the young and old, between man and woman, between parent and child. I understand why it is so. The most brilliant spirits are of those who have embraced themselves. As I look down at my hands, I notice something different. It's the same scarlet glow from earlier, when I was on the cosmic plane. So that moment made everything clear, then. Because I've solidified my existence in the eyes of heaven, I have changed. And there are others out there like me.

"The flames have meaning," I say to myself. "All of those under this world's pull are limited. Their spirits burn just like candles...and whether it's a breeze, or it's something that suffocates them..."

Mama and Rose. Do they also share this fate? Fio, Hina, Naruto...I want to see them. I want to see everyone that I can, and understand them even more than I do now. I want to feel the things that they feel. I have a sudden thirst for knowledge, for all of the information that I can get my hands on. It wasn't that I neglected study before, but I have such a deep yearning now. This must be part of my transformation as well. I'll embrace it, as I have embraced everything else.

The points of light flow from the people working in the fields, and into the endless streams that flow through the sky. They come up from the water that floods the area, and they rise up from me, in shimmering droplets of scarlet. Energy from everything and everyone, winding its way around and through the Earth in an endless procession. I reach into one of the small streams as I pass it, letting my fingers gently part the waves. Some of it uneventfully fades into me, while the rest goes on its way, joining with the larger collections as they move. There are other tiny fragments of vivid colour, like mine. They stand out from the streams of white light that come from every other human...I wonder who they might be from.

"..."

I could spend an eternity here, looking on with fascination at this wondrous new vision of the world. Barely any time has passed while I was with Fubuki, and I've completely lost interest in training. But there's something greater that I feel...I want to go home and see my family again.

It's a long, peaceful walk towards the mansion. The guards acknowledge me and open the gates, allowing me to head up the pathway towards the front entrance. I can feel the slight chill underneath my feet, and let the sensation soak into me. Scents of fruit and flowers mix together as I pass by the trees. One of the maids is at the front door, and she bows as soon as I approach. My eyes focus in on her, and I can see that the flames of her soul are burning brightly, fuelled by purpose. She gives me a smile, and I nod before smiling back at her. The butler who takes my shoes from me and offers a cool drink is the same, and it is so for every other part of the help that I come across. That uniformity is almost strange, but I realize that it must have a source. Someone that commands such strength...

"Milady. Welcome home."

"Thank you, Touka." We stand together in one of the wide halls that connects the many parts of this mansion. Her gaze towards me is curious, and I see the flames that flow from her form. They're magnificently warm and bright, more than anyone's that I've come across today. Those words from the garden, when I was drifting off to sleep...I remember them. She holds in her heart a divine purpose, to serve our family with everything that she has within her.

"Lady Lilith...might I speak freely?"

"Of course. What is it, my dear?"

"You...look much different than a few hours earlier. I cannot truly explain it, but it's something that I can feel within myself. If it's not too forward me to say, you look incredibly radiant."

"Thank you, Touka. For you to notice that much, you truly are a special woman. I have changed, in many ways. I have done as Haha-ue has asked of me. Not simply for my sake, but for that of my kindred spirit."

"I see. I understand, milady. Wherever you lead, I will follow without hesitation. And I will protect Lady Rose with every part of my being in your stead."

"I have always trusted you to do so, Touka."

"Milady...thank you," she says with a tender smile. "The little one is waiting for you, so I will stand in your way no longer. Godspeed to you, forever and always."

"Thank you once more, Touka. I love you dearly."

She bows for me as I leave, travelling down the halls and towards my room.

"You're back already. And not without something new."

Emi stands upright from her position against the crib, taking note of me. That familiar, haughty smile of hers graces her face.

"A genius, through and through. You truly are my daughter."

"You can see it," I say. "Or more than that...you felt it as soon as I came near."

"It's quite hard to miss. The more I look at you, the more I notice."

She has a strong, thick aura of flame winding around her slowly. White hot...matching that relentless spirit perfectly. Burning energy that has made its way into the hearts of every person in this place...a match for everyone that I passed earlier. She is the source that I was searching for, then. I appreciate her even more now, realizing how much she's given to everyone here.

"I see."

"I know that I'm not strong enough to escape this world on my own. Perhaps it will never come to pass, since I'm only human. But you, Lili...it's more than just a matter of youth. It's everything that you were gifted by Caroline. That confident vision, that pure spirit. I feel it in me, that you really have ascended to a level beyond us...but then, I always wanted this to happen. If you can do it, then perhaps Rose will know the way. All I ever wish for is the absolute best for her."

"Yes. I want that much too," I say.

"It's time that you showed her your face. It's been too long, as far as she's concerned."

I step forward and look down into the crib. Rose immediately starts to move, reaching for me.

"It seems that I didn't change too much in your eyes."

I reach down into the crib and pick her up, holding her against me. I can see it as I focus...a faint golden glow around her tiny body. A distant shadow of mine, but still present. It seems that Emi was right. If anyone can follow me, it's certainly her.

"You are...a place to come back to. A home on this Earth of ours, no matter where we might be at any moment. Together, we can do anything we put our minds to. And so, we will. We will change the bounds of history, and we will change fates and destined outcomes. We will create a bond so great that it will shift the foundations of time. We will become splendid princesses, together."

I kiss her gently on the forehead.

"We will rise above the bounds of Earth's gravity, hand in hand. I am the Scarlet Viper of legend, an nothing is impossible for me. So shall it be for you, my darling sister."

Our mission, our purpose, as those made in the image of the divine. No longer bound by fate...we will become one with the stars.